1946 Champions Cup

The 1946 Champions Cup final was an unofficial championship game played between the New York Knights and Hempstead Clippers, held at New York Runty Park.

While this game was not officially marketed as a Champions Cup game at the time it was played, it is still recognized as the first "unofficial" Champions Cup, as the winner of this game would have ended up being the NERC's champion based on their first two games of round-robin play.

The Clippers suffocated the Knights offense, and surprised everyone by winning the game and becoming the NERC's inaugural champions.

First Half
For such a high-stage game, the pace was very slow to start off. The first shot didn’t occur until 6:36, when a shot from Joe Hunnith was saved by Sam Albrek. The teams traded chances, but still couldn’t get anything on target. Eventually, with under 10 minutes to play in the quarter, New York’s Ed Rose broke through, with a perfectly placed shot from 20 yards out. Fans were hoping this would kickstart the offense, but the only other score of the quarter would be a late point from Hunnith. After 1 quarter of play, the Knights led 5-0. To start the second, Hempstead controlled the ball, and managed to get a goal from Albrek by the 3-minute mark. Unfortunately for the entertainment factor, the pace would die down after that, and the game went 10 minutes without a shot. The shot was taken by Hunnith but saved by Albrek. Eventually, after 20:02 without a change in score, the Clippers had a shot deflect just wide for a point. Hempstead’s Bobby Doherty intercepted the ensuing kickoff, and drew a penalty shot, which he placed perfectly, giving the Clippers the lead. The Knights had a great chance to tie late, but only managed a point. At the half, the visitors shockingly led 9-6.

Second Half
The home supporters were hoping the Knights would be able to start the second half strong, but the Clippers won the opening jump-ball, and controlled possession for the majority of the first part of the quarter. After a few Hempstead blocked shots, Eddy Tracy got his name on the scoresheet, lobbing Knights RU Donald Walter. 6 minutes later, Allen Formock joined in on the action, and Hempstead’s lead increased to 11. The Knights finally got the ball of the jump-ball, and Hunnith had yet another chance, but it hit the crossbar before going into the net, good for only a point. After that, inaccurate kicking would take over, and both teams had at least 2 shots miss completely wide. In the late stages, the Knights got some more shots on target, but they were taken care of by Albrek and RU Arthur Wink. As the third quarter ended, the Clippers found themselves up 17-7 and 24 minutes away from winning the NERC’s inaugural championship. To start the fourth quarter, the Knights got more chances, but all they could manage was a point from Oliver Chern. By the 11-minute mark, New York were playing as if they had already lost. At the midway point, the Clippers put the nails in the coffin. They kicked a point, then intercepted the kickoff and Albrek punched home his second goal of the game. The remaining 11 minutes would consist of the ball being turned over multiple times in the midfield. Eventually, the final buzzer went, and for the second consecutive week, the Hempstead Clippers had stunned the opposition’s home fans, and become the first professional runty team to win a league championship. In the post-game festivities, League president Elmer Wilkins presented the Clippers with a championship flag to be unveiled at their first home game of the 1947 season.